Unit Election Information
About Unit Elections
The Order of the Arrow is “Scouting’s National Honor Society.” It recognizes those who best exemplify the Scout Oath and Law in their daily life and, by such recognition, cause other campers to conduct themselves in such a manner as to warrant similar recognition, to promote camping, and to crystallize the Scout habit of helpfulness into a life purpose of leadership in cheerful service to others.
Each Unit with qualified members is urged to hold an election no later than August 30th to elect candidates for an Ordeal. Ordeals will be held at Wah-Tut-Ca Scout Reservation in May, June, and October.
The election should be held at a regularly scheduled unit meeting. Every effort should be made to have 100% attendance of both youths and adults at this meeting. A unit election cannot be held without at least 50% of the unit in attendance. An election team from the Order of the Arrow will be on hand to conduct the election once it has been scheduled with you.
Youth Membership Qualifications
1. Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America.
2. Have experienced 15 nights of camping while registered with a troop, crew, or ship within the two years immediately prior to the election. The 15 nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of at least five consecutive nights of overnight camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. Only five nights of the long-term camp may be credited toward the 15-night camping requirement; the balance of the camping (10 nights) must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps of, at most, three nights each. Ship nights may be counted as camping for Sea Scouts.
3. At the time of their election, youth must be under the age of 21, hold the Scouts BSA First Class rank, the Venturing Discovery Award, or the Sea Scout Ordinary rank or higher, and following approval by the Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Sea Scout Skipper, be elected by the youth members of their unit.
Voting for youth candidates will be based on their spirit of brotherhood, cheerfulness (no matter how tiresome their duties), and a willingness to give unselfish and wholehearted service to others at all times.
Adult Membership Qualifications
Adult leaders in units: Each year, upon holding a troop or team election for youth candidates that result in at least one youth candidate being elected, the unit committee may nominate adults to the lodge adult selection committee. The number of adults nominated can be no more than one-third of the number of youth candidates elected, rounded up where the number of youth candidates is not a multiple of three. In addition to the one-third limit, the unit committee may nominate the currently-serving unit leader (but not assistant leaders), as long as he or she has served as unit leader for at least the previous twelve months. Recommendations of the adult selection committee, which consists of the lodge adviser, the chairman of the council committee on which the lodge adviser serves, and the lodge staff adviser, with the approval of the Scout executive, serving as Supreme Chief of the Fire, will be candidates for induction, provided the following conditions are fulfilled:
- Selection of the adult is based on the ability to perform the necessary functions to help the Order fulfill its purpose, and not for recognition of service, including current or prior achievement and positions.
- The individual will be an asset to the Order because of demonstrated abilities that fulfill the purpose of the Order.
- The camping requirements set forth for youth members are fulfilled.
The adult leader’s membership will provide a positive example of the growth and development of the youth members of the lodge.